Tory Action
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Tory Action was a radical right-wing pressure group within the British Conservative Party, founded by former deputy director of MI6, George Kennedy Young in 1973 after he failed in an attempt to be elected Chairman of the Conservative Monday Club.
[edit] Aims
Its published 'Aims' state that "we do not have a corporate creed and our membership holds a variety of views but most feel strongly on sound public finance, on the need for denationalisation, European Union reform, law and order, combatting subversion, halting the growth of the non-European population in the UK, and a repatriation programme."
It was a secretive outfit in which membership was only open to Conservative Party members of two or more years standing, although their 'Aims' simply say "paid-up members". Their Newsletter was entitled The Round Robin.
The group claimed to have a "country-wide network of Conservative office-holders and activists" and claimed credit for canvassing for Margaret Thatcher in her constituency for the 1979 General Election. In 1981, George Young claimed it had the support of at least 25 Conservative MPs, including Ronald Bell who had hosted a Tory Action reception in the House of Commons in December 1980.
[edit] Committee
About 1990, the Tory Action Committee consisted of John Andrews, Geoffrey W. Bevan, BA (Economics), Mrs Merrie Cave, MA, (sometime editor for The Salisbury Review), Adrian Davies, BA, Colin J. Grant, BSc, Philip S.C. Rankin, BSc, LLB, M.R.Wheddon, and George Kennedy Young, CB, CMG, MBE.
[edit] References
- 'Tory Action' letter & Aims in the Western Goals Institute archives.
